62 replies to this topic

[jpsalas]

In my Attack from Mars for VPX, http://www.vpforums....&showfile=11603, I used 4 images for the lights. The same images I used for the VP9 table. I did that mostly to show that you can use textures for the images, just like in VP9 and olders. These images must be like in VP8 and older, this is, they must be playfield size. In VPX you cannot use small individual images for the lights, that was introduced in VP9.9 (or somewhere between VP9 and VP9.9). But I see no problems of using 4 images for my AFM table with reflections. If you want to use images which are not part of the playfield then you may select the "Passthrough" on the light, this way the light will not be affected by the material of the playfield. And the reflections, as sliderpoint said, are visible just now only on the playfield, not on raised walls.

[flupper1]

Interesting discussion, after reading though still not sure what really is not working properly in VPX. The reason for setting all elements on no reflection is twofold for BK2000:
- upper playfield will never have reflections (limitation of VP, explained several times by devs), so I made this table assuming that never would be the case (so I grouped primitives etc for performance)
- secondly, the performance seemed to go up (fps) when I switched of reflection for elements individually (even when global reflection is off). So assuming I would never want to switch it on (see first reason), I switched them all off.

And for the insert lighting I used some tricks:
- every insert has two lights, one for the insert itself, one for the glow
- the PF contains the insert texture
- there is a second layered image 0,5 units above the playfield with only the insert cut out in black
- the insert lights are positioned on the separate black layer, so they won't be affected by the glow lights
This enables independent brightness setting for the glow and the light. Also I can darken the default intensity (light off color) independently from the rest of the playfield (the off color for the inserts is taken from the seperate black layer).

Edited by flupper1, 17 July 2016 - 08:53 AM.

[Shockman]

I have been able to use insert textures from a non playfield world map using a similar technique with reflections on. However the difference is the graphics for the lights are in their own graphic and not the translite film .

 

With this technique the black (could possible be true transparent as well) is what is drawn on the playfield. This frees up the light inserts to use any graphic from any source.

 

I was wrong about what is reflected on working and what is not reflected on not working. What was showing correctly with a non playfield image and reflections turned on is where black was on the playfield image.

 

Getting reflections on raised playfields is not going to be so easy. It would probably require a source code change. Ideally, A surface, wall or primitive, would have a playfield flag and properties, and more ideally an index as well, so there could be more than two, if wanted. Then an element could be set to reflect on a number of surfaces with the index or surface selection. There is nothing magic about a graphic being used for holding the reflections, and no reason only one will work.

 

We are going to have tables that have one playfield surface that works and will show reflections, and tables like BK that will either have none, or the main playfield having them and the secondary playfield not.